Childcare in Plymouth
Plymouth has 63 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 44 school nursery classes, 26 childminders and 19 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 75 of them and rated 73 Good or better, 9 of them Outstanding. 83 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £32 to £88, typically £65. Across Plymouth there are 29 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Plymouth, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 45 school nursery classes across Plymouth, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
158 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Opened High 5 Stoke Damerel Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Honeyshute Day Nursery Eggbuckland Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Alexandra House Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Sporty Stars Marjon Rocks Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened High 5 AfterSchool Club St Josephs Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Alexandra House Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Honeyshute Day Nursery Compton Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Stagecoach Plymouth Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed High5 Eggbuckland School Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Sporty Stars - Plymouth Marjon Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Honeyshute Preschool Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Honeyshute Day Nursery Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Plymouth
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Plymouth?
Of the 7 full-day rates published by settings in Plymouth, the typical price is £65 a day, ranging from £32 to £88. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Plymouth take funded hours?
60 of the 158 settings in Plymouth are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Plymouth rated Outstanding?
Yes. 9 of the 75 settings Ofsted has inspected in Plymouth hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Plymouth take babies?
103 settings in Plymouth are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Plymouth?
Plymouth has 29 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Plymouth
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.